Back-to-back Region 4-5A champion Golden Eagles look to make a run at 5A state title

Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / Rhea's Ethan Davis (32) follows the blocking of Hunter Crowe (44). The Bradley Central Bears hosted the Rhea County Golden Eagles in a TSSAA football game on October 22, 2021.
Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / Rhea's Ethan Davis (32) follows the blocking of Hunter Crowe (44). The Bradley Central Bears hosted the Rhea County Golden Eagles in a TSSAA football game on October 22, 2021.
photo Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / Rhea's Ethan Davis (32) follows the blocking of Hunter Crowe (44). The Bradley Central Bears hosted the Rhea County Golden Eagles in a TSSAA football game on October 22, 2021.

As one of the most experienced backfield tandems in the state, Rhea County juniors Kaleb Martin and Ethan Davis are excited to try to lead the Golden Eagles to new heights.

Not only are the third-year starters seeking a 3-peat as Region 4-5A champions, but much more as Martin and Davis will be key factors in the program's quest to return to the state championship game for the first time since 1985.

"We have had confidence since we were freshmen because when you are a part of this program you trust your teammates to all do their job around you," Davis said. "For me, I have had a lot of wide open holes to run through in my career here. It's never crossed my mind of having a chance to set school records, I just want to help this team win state."

Rhea County's quest for the gold ball last season ended at the hands of eventual Class 5A state champion Powell, who beat them 27-13 in the quarterfinals.

The Golden Eagles look to be even better this season as coach Mark Pemberton's signature Wing-T offense returns players who accounted for 65 of their 66 touchdowns last season along with standout offensive lineman Maurice Shirley.

While the bell cow back is the 5-foot-9, 165-pound Davis - who has rushed for 3,216 yards on 417 carries and scored 40 times in his prep career - the running back room is flooded with supporting talent.

Junior Briley Mayberry has elite speed and is a force as a receiver too as he averaged nearly 73 yards per game. Sophomore bruiser Latron Alloway had a pair of 100-yard rushing games against Red Bank and Walker Valley last season, while senior Caleb Odell and Hunter Crowe both had 100-yard games and averaged more than seven yards a carry.

Martin also had 22 of his 26 touchdowns come on the ground as Rhea County dismantled opponents by rushing for nearly 330 yards per game. The Golden Eagles went 10-3 overall and outscored their region foes 145-34.

photo Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / Quarterback Kaleb Martin fires a pass during warmups before a scrimmage at Rhea County High School on Tuesday, August 2, 2022.

"We feel like we have a really good group of skill position guys. They were all underclassmen last year," said Pemberton. "Ethan is our go-to guy, but we have several other ways we can attack a defense. Those guys all have confidence when their number is called."

On the defensive side of the football, Rhea County will lean on juniors Bryce Dupree (4 interceptions in 2021) and Rex Pendergrass (13 quarterback hurries, 4 sacks). The Golden Eagles will need several players to emerge on that side of the ball as only four defensive starters return.

McMinn County will look to have yet another strong campaign after winning 27 games over the past three years.

Bo Cagle's Cherokees fell 34-20 to the Golden Eagles and started last season 1-3 overall. However, a resilient group bounced back to win seven straight games including a 24-17 home victory over Oak Ridge in the first round of the playoffs.

Junior linebacker Landon Feggins sets the tone for McMinn County.

"My goal is to bring everything I've got every play and when I am going to hit you, I am going to hit you hard," said Feggins who had 117 tackles and forced three turnovers as a sophomore. "We take pride in our physicality."

Senior Jayden Miller is a three-year starter at quarterback and an extremely solid one at that. Last season he threw for 1,226 yards with 11 touchdowns compared to six interceptions. Miller also led the team with 932 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns.

McMinn returns all of its skill players except for one as Luke Hensley and Caden Hester are keys to the passing game, while running backs Davion Evans and Cody Thompson combined for more than 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns last year. The Cherokees may have to pass the ball more frequently this season as they are inexperienced and young on the offensive line.

Walker Valley has a new-look offense in 2022 with Evan Schwarzl and Tanner Whittenbarger taking over in the backfield.

Drew Akins has proven he can produce stellar quarterbacks in his time with the Mustangs and it should be no different with Schwarzl. As a freshman at Chattanooga Central he threw for more than 200 yards on multiple occasions and will now look to be the third straight all-state Walker Valley quarterback following Tucker Pope and Ryan Lay.

Whittenbarger starred his first two seasons at Soddy-Daisy in totaling more than 1,700 yards. The 5-foot-9, 195-pound back is hard to bring down on first contact and can hurt defenses in the passing game with solid route running.

Seniors Tucker Ownby, Blaine Lowe and Brady Montgomery will lead the receiving corps while Jackson Gibson and Eli Denton are both a physical presence who will be X-factors on each side of the ball. Denton has been named an all-state linebacker two seasons in a row and is the unquestioned team leader.

Ooltewah has also made a step in the right direction as their team numbers have grown close to 100 in the second year under James Manning.

Senior versatile playmaker Takoda Jones is in for a major role offensively as the Owls hope to generate a big number of touches for the explosive playmaker every game. Jones - who has started 20 games in his career - will be used out of the backfield and at receiver.

Reggie Knight, Will Bolt, Austin Robinson, Isaac Itofe and Noble Knoch are all leaders for Ooltewah who looks to show major improvements after going 2-8 last season.

Howard is home to perhaps the most dominant lineman in the region.

Senior Myles Houston (6-3, 290) is receiving heavy college interest as the powerful left tackle is also quick on his feet. Houston along with Roy Miles Jr., Ontarrious Woodruff and Jurshaun Torrey are the key leaders in the trenches for the Hustlin' Tigers.

Tragontae Lewis is back at running back while senior newcomer Tariq Morris has 4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash and looks to make big plays happen with senior quarterback Christian Holland.

Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.

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